Multineedle chenille machine



June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS 2,513,261

MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1946 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS MULTINEEDLE cHENtnLE MACHINE Filed Feb. 2a, 1946 June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS 2,513,261

MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1946 12 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR.

Wm.- B Y June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS 2,513,261 5 'MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE.

Filed Feb. 26, 1946 lZSheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS' 2,513,261

MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1946 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 WLA. BEHRENS MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE June 27, 1950 12 Sheets-Sheet. 6.

Filed Feb. 26, 1946v IN VEN TOR.

June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS 2,513,261

- MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1946 12 Sheets-Sheet 8 IN V EN TOR.

F Z 2 Wm BY June 27, 1950 v w. A. BEHRENS MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Feb. 26, 1946 INVENTOR.

June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Feb. '26. 1946 IN V EN TOR.

June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1946 12 Sheets-Sheet l1 INVENTOR.

June 27, 1950 w. A. BEHRENS MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Feb. 26, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

Patented June 27, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTINEEDLE CHENILLE Walter A, Behrens, New York, N. Y., assignor to Pathe Tool Manufacturing Co. Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York ApDlicationFebrHaryZG, 1946, Serial N 0.6505159 3 Claims. (o1.-112+79 This invention relates to chenille'or 'tufting machines such as are employed for the production of bedspreads, bathmaths, bathrobes, chenille cloth for various agar-merits, rugs and the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a multi-needle machine "of this character capable of simultaneously forming a plurality of rows of chenille stitching in'a work'material.

Multi-ne'e'dle chenille machines are known in the art, but have not heretofore found such a widespread application 'as might have been expected in view of their obvious potential time and labor-saving features because of shortcomings inherent =in'their construction which become particularly serious when a large number of needles are employed. For this reason, the chenille industry still usually employs single needle constructions, or machines having only a limited number of needles, also when the nature of the article to be produced is such that use of a much larger number of needles would appear to be economically advantageous.

Chenille machines of the multi-needle type generally comprisea plurality of needles actuable to pass thread or yarn througha cloth :or fabric fed across themach-inelprogressively to form-lines of loops thereon, and a mechanism for severing the loops thusproduced to form the nap -defining piles or tufts. Said mechanism usually'consists of a plurality of movable units "eachcooperating with one needle and carrying a hook or so-called looper reciprocated by the unit across-theplane of movement of the needle progressively to engage and hold the loops,'and a 'knifeusually-actue ated by the movement of the unit for gradually severing the :loops held on the hook.

Serious mechanical problems are encountered in the-construction of such machines which have not been heretofore satisfactorily solved, especially'whe'n considerable numbers of needles and cooperating units are involved, with the result that such machines still have objectionable features that considerably limit their usefulness. Serious shortcomings are, for -instance, the difiiculty of adjustingiand maintaining thetiming of the operation of the many cooperating elements required (needles, hooks and knives) and the unsatisfactory type of hook and knife units usually adopted. These units are not easily accessible when mounted in the machine, :and they are so constructedthat they have to "be substantially disassembled every time the hook or the knife has to be removed therefrom. Since these elements have to "be frequ'e'ntly "removed :as they require sharpening almost every "day, :and the I2 units-are so constructed that, upon re-assembly thereof, the hook-and knife =dolnot automatically assumeagai-n their original position and time-relation in the machine, but have to be again ac curately adjusted, so much time Iis consumed "in adjusting operations --as to render the use of the machine impractical. Further, no means have been heretofore provided for readily obtaining a variety of chenille designs, including relatively complicated patterns adapted to enhance the decorative appearance of the finished products.

Broadly, the invention aims at providing a novel and improved chenille machine having any desired number of needles which is free of all the aforementioned defects, being capable of continued prolonged satisfactory operation, requiring a minimum of adjustments and being so constructed as to permit readily and rapidly 'to effect any adjustment that maybe required, the machine being further capable "of producing any desired chenille design.

More specifically, it is anobject of the invention to provide a chenille machine capable -of functioning with a large number of needles arranged in a single row or in parallel rows, which embodies a novel hook-andiknife mechanism and means for controlling theactionof said mechanism, of the needles and of the means for feeding the cloth through the -:machine permitting easy independent adjustment of each device relative to the other to obtain any desired time relationship in the operation thereof and characteristics of stitches. and piles.

Another object :is to provide hook and knife units-cooperating with the needles, which, while adapted to be readilydi-splaced-froni theiroperative position when needed (for instance to permit sharpening of the knives) are so constructed as to insure that upon their replacement in the machine the hook and the knife will be automatically returned to their original position, thereby permitting removal of the units without affecting the relationship of the hook and knife to the needles of the machine and-the timing of their operation. Further, it :is an'object to provide a structure for mounting the hooks and knives whereby constant relationship between the hook and knife 'of each unit is maintained regardless of whether the unit is in its'operative position or has been removed therefrom.

:Afurtherobjectis to provide means for actuating the knives independently I of the actuation of their mounting units, and for permitting simultaneous adjustment :in a single operation of all rh'ooksor all knives, thereby expediting and facilitating the adjustment of the length of the stroke of the hooks or knives, of the timing of the action of the hooks with respect to the motion of the needles, and the like, to suit any given operating condition. It is also within the scope of the invention to provide novel means for manually independently actuating all the knives, to permit severing of the loops accumulated on the hooks and release of the goods when desired.

Still another object is to provide means for holding and guiding the material in front of the needles during the passage of the material through the machine, which are movable to displace the material laterally adjacent the needles, and means for varying the characteristics of the movement of said material guiding and displacing means, to provide for the formation of chenille lines of various designs. It is also an object of the invention to provide novel means whereby the loops accumulating on the hooks may be progressively released therefrom without being severed, so as to produce the so-called loop p These and other objects will become apparent in the following description of the invention illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a chenille machine according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a right hand elevational view of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the machine, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, illustrating one of the hook and knife or looper units in operative position.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a device acting on a material fed through the machine, in front of the needles, and forming part of a movable mechanism for obtaining the'formation of chenille designs.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the structure of Fi 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of a hook and knife unit, shown isolated, illustrating the unit both in operative and inoperative position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a collar forming part of the hook and knife unit.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side elevational view of the hook and knife unit, illustrating the structure of the knife mechanism associated with the hook and the actuating means therefor.

Fig. 10 is a similar side elevational view showing the knife in cutting position.

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of the hook and knife unit, looking in the direction of the arrows H-ll of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of a modified embodiment of the unit employed for obtaining the formation of a loop pile.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a piece of material having straight chenille lines, produced with a machine according to the invention.

Fig. 14 is a similar plan view showing a piece of material having wavy chenille lines.

Fig. 15 is a plan view showing the lines of stitches produced on the opposite face of a piece of chenille material.

Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 are sectional views through piece of chenille material, showing respectively the tufts produced in theusual chenille and the uncut loops produced in a chenille loop pile.

Figs. 18 and '19 are diag-rammatical illustrations of closed designs obtainable with a chenille machine according to the invention having two rows of needles.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing means for manually actuating the loop-severing knives.

Fig. 21 is a perspective view of the mechanism for obtaining the formation of chenille designs, as applied to a machine having two rows of needles, and of the means for actuating said mechanism.

Fig. 22 is a vertical sectional view through a machine having two rows of needles, illustrating the arrangement of the hook and knife units and actuating means therefor in such a machine.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and in the first place to Figs. 1 and 2, a chenille machine according to the invention comprises a table l0 mounted on supporting legs ll, one of which also carries a bracket 12 supporting a driving electric motor I 3. Secured to the table I0 centrally thereof are spaced vertical frame members l4 and IS. A gear box IE, the purpose whereof will be later described, is mounted on one end of said table.

A shaft ll hereinafter termed the main shaft, which extends along the front of the machine above the table, is journalled in the frame members [4, l5 and in suitably spaced bearings I8 secured to the table, the shaft being driven from the motor I3 through a pulley E9. The shaft (1 carries spaced eccentrics 22, 23, 24 angularly adjustable thereon, for the purpose hereafter apparent. A horizontal shaft 25, or upper rocker shaft is journalled in the upper end of the frame members I4, [5. Further horizontal shafts 26, 2'! parallel to the main shaft ll, are likewise journalled in said frame members and in further bearings 20 adjacent the lower end of the members. Shafts 26 and 21 are respectively actuating shafts for the hooks and knives of the looper or hook and knife" mechanism later described, while the upper rocker shaft is intended to actuate the needles of the machine with Which the hooks and knives cooperate in the formation of the chenille piles.

In the operation of the machine, rotation of the main shaft ll causes oscillation of the shafts 25, 26, 21 by any amount desired and in any desired time relation, as follows (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3):

The shaft 25 has mounted thereon a slotted lever 28 to which there is bolted, in adjustable position lengthwise of the lever, a stud 30 pivotally carrying a nut 3i. This'latter is connected by means of a turnbuckle 32 to the strap 33 of the eccentric 22, so as to provide in effect a connecting rod of variable length and permit to vary as desired the amount of oscillation of the rocker shaft according to the adjustment of the stud 30 lengthwise of the lever 28.

Mounted in suitable bearings 35 at the rear of the machine are short shafts 36 and 37, respectively carrying slotted levers 38, 39. These levers are connected to the eccentrics 23, 24 of the main shaft I! by means of adjustable devices identical to that connecting the lever 28 of the shaft 25 to the eccentric 22, just described, and comprising, respectively, adjustable stud 40, nut 41, turnbuckle 42 and strap 43 of the eccentric 23, and stud 45, nut 46, turnbuckle A l and strap 48 of the eccentric 24. Shafts 36 and 3'! may thereforebe oscillated'in the operation of the machine by any desired amount. The oscillatory motion of the shaft 36 is transmitted to the aarazer 5, shaft 2'6, which actuates the hooks of the looper mechanism, through a lever 49 mounted on the shaft 36 and connected to a lever 50 on the shaft 26 by means of a similar-adjustable device comprising nut 55, turnbuckle 52 and nut 53. Likewise, the shaft 21 is oscillated from the shaft 31 through a lever 5 carried by this latter shaft, and nut 55, turnbuckle 56, nut 51 and lever 58 mounted on the shaft 2?. The type of connections described is best shown in Fig. 3.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the oscillation of the shafts 21, 26and 3'! can be readily adjusted to any desired amount independently for each shaft, and the timing of the actuation of the various shafts relative to each other can be likewise readily adjusted as desired by'suitably varying the relative angular position of the eccentrics 22, 23, 24 on the main shaft. Said relative angular position of the eccentrics can be varied, in the case of the embodiment illustrated by loosening one or more set screws, such as the screws I80 and MI, I82 and I83, I8 and M5 in the collars of the eccentrics 22, 23 and 2d respectively, turning the eccentric or eccentrics through any desired angle or angles, and then tightening again the set screw or screws previously loosened. There may be more than one such screw on each collar, as desired, (two are shown in the drawings) and further it is obvious that other equivalent methods or devices for rendering possible the angular adjustment of each eccentric on the main shaft can be resorted to by persons skilled in the art.

Spaced rows of supports 50, secured to the machine table ill, have mounted thereon a pair of horizontal plates iii which carry the usual perforated needle or throat plate 62 between the frame members l4, l5 and above the shafts 26, 21. A needle bar 54 carrying a row of closely arranged needles means 65, for instance 75 needles, is supported by a plurality of rods 6% vertically reciprocable in brackets til that are mounted on a tie rod 63 connecting the frame members M, It. A suitable conventional presser foot 69 is also provided. The needle bar, the tie rod, the presser foot, one bracket El and one rod 66 are shown in Fig. 4.

The vertical reciprocation of the rods be carrying the needle bar, as well as that of the presser foot which also may be mounted for vertical reciprocation, is obtained through a mechanism actuated by the rocker shaft and not shown in the drawings, since it does not form part of the present invention and may be of any suitable type known in the art. A structure such as that disclosed in the U. S. patent to Boettcher 1,948,876 may be advantageously employed for this purpose. Likewise, the means employed for feeding the thread or yarn to each needle may be of standard type. The reciprocating needles function in the usual manner repeatedly to pass yarn or thread through the cloth or other suitable material fed across thethroat plate, to form loopswhich are progressively caught and severed by the looper mechanism to form the chenille nap. It should be noted that since the shaft 25 is readily adjustable to any desired amount and timing of oscillation as aforesaid, the lengths Figs. 4 and 7 to 11, it will be seen that each unit, generally indicated at 10, comprises a collar 12 which is provided with a peripheral groove 13 (Fig. 8-) and is fixed to the shaft 26 as by means of set screws 14. A flat member or plate '55 has one end pivoted at 15 within the lower portion A loop-engaging hook 82 of suitable shape and dimension is removably secured in fixed position to one face of the plate 15, at the upper end thereof, as by means of screws 83. As shown in Figs. 9 to 11, the opposite face of the plate is provided with .a recess 85 extending to the upper end of the plate at an angle to the axis thereof. A member 86 slidably mounted within said recess has its upper face sloping in the direction of the hook 82, and is in turn provided with a shallow recess 81 for receiving a knife blade 88 of flexible thin steel projecting therefrom toward the hook. The blade is fastened to the member 86, in any desired longitudinally adjustable position relative thereto, by a small flat spring 90 secured to the member by screws 8!. One of the longitudinal edges of the blade 88 is preferably provided with teeth 92 adapted to engage complemental teeth along the adjacent edge of the recess 81, so as to positively prevent longitudinal displacement of the blade under stress during operation of the device. A curved arm spring 94 secured to the plate 15 by screws 95 and bearing upon the free portion of the blade 88, urges the tip of the blade into close association with the hook 82, whereby to insure proper scissors-like coaction of the blade and the cutting edge 96 of the hook to sever the loops accumulating on the hook when the blade is actuated.

The blade-carrying member 86 is connected at its lower end to a lever 91 pivotally mounted on the plate '75 at 98, by means of a screw or pin 99, passing through a slot I80 of the lever S'l, the lever coacting with the spring 94 to slidably maintain the blade-carrying member within its recess 85. The outer end of the lever is provided with a slot I 0| which, when the plate i5 is locked to the collar 12 in operative position, slidably receives a pin I02 carried by a member I63 suitably secured to the aforementioned shaft 2! (see Fig. 4).

In the operation of the machine, the oscillation of the shaft 26, obtained at predetermined intervals in the manner described, causes corresponding oscillation of the collar 12 and therefore of the described unit H! including the hook 82, so that the hook is repeatedly moved in an arcuate path between an initial position and a position underneath the corresponding needle 65 illustrated in broken lines in Fig. '7, to enter and hold the loops successively formed by the needle. The oscillation of the unit, however, does not cause actuation of the knife blade 88 and severing of the loops, because the slot ml of the lever 91 is so shaped and disposed that in the oscillation of the unit the pin I02 is allowed to slide in the slot without causing pivotal movement of the lever, so that the position of theknife assembly 888891 relative to the oscillating unit remains unchanged and the knife blade is inactive. Of course, the elements are so arranged that in the normal position of the unit the blade is maintained away from the hook as shown in Fig. 4. The rocking of the lever 91 and consequent movement of the knife carrying member 86 to actuate the knife, can take place only upon oscillation of the shaft 21 from which the actuation of the knife assembly is therefore independently controlled.

As aforesaid, the shafts 28 and 21 respectively actuating the unit and the knife assembly relative to the unit may be independently adjusted, through the mechanism previously described, to adjust both the timing and the amount of their oscillation. It is therefore evident that the length of the stroke of the hook 82 and its timing relative to the motion of the needles may be easily controlled to provide any desired characteristics of loops, and that the adjustment of all the hooks is simultaneously obtained since all the units are mounted on and actuated by the same shaft 26. Likewise, the timing of the actuation of the knife assembly and the length of the stroke of the knife blade 88 are readily adjustable, so that the blade, which follows a path at an angle to the hook 82, may be caused to sever any desired number of loops accumulated on the hook, and such adjustment is simultaneously effected for all the knives through the adjustment of their common actuating shaft 21.

It should be noted at this point that knives mounted on hook and knife units constructedas described, require much less frequent sharpening than the knives incorporated in similar structures of the prior art, which is obviously an important feature for the economical operation of the machine. It has been found that the knives may actually operate for one week or more without sharpening as compared with the daily sharpening heretofore generally required. This is believed to be due to the fact that the knife is not rigidly mounted but, besides consisting of a resilient blade, is substantially resiliently held in position on the sloping movable member 86 by the small square spring 90 and the cooperating curved arm spring 94, which latter spring applies gradually increasing pressure on the knife as the member 85 is actuated to move the knife toward the hook. While in this manner sufficient pressure is applied to the knife to insure proper scissor-like operation, the spring action of the holding means, together with the inherent resiliency of the knife, minimizes the effect of the shocks to which the knife is subjected and considerably prolongs the life of its cutting edge.

The construction of the units 10 provides a hook and knife assembly readily displaceable from its normal operative position underneath the throat plate 62 to a position wherein the hook 82 and the knife 88 are easily accessible for removal whenever required, as for instance when they need sharpening. For this purpose it is manifestly suficient to disengage the catch 11 of the lever 18 from the projection 19, whereupon the plate 15 may be swung outwardly about its pivot 16 relative to the collar 12 to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 7. The connection of the unit to the knife actuating shaft 21 is such as to permit the aforesaid displacement of the plate 15 and associated elements, as the slot IOI at the outer end of the lever 91 is so conformed and arranged that the pin I02 can slide therein and become disengaged therefrom during the swinging movement of the device.

It is an important feature of the machine that the displacement of the hooks and knives, and therefore the sharpening, adjustment or re placement thereof, can be accomplished without in any way affecting the timing of the operation of the unit (and therefore the hook) and of the knife, relative to one another and to the other elements of the machine. This is due to the fact that the position of the timing controlling elements (shaft 28, 21) remains unchanged, and.

the hook and the knife assembly are automatically returned to the same position they originally had relative to the shafts when the plate 15 is swung back and locked again to the collar 12. Likewise, the relationship of the hook and knife remains unchanged, since both said elements are mounted on the same plate 15 and move as a unit with this latter.

Fig. 12 illustrates a modified form of hook and knife unit employed to produce the so-called loop-pile chenille on which the chenille nap consists of uncut loops. In this embodiment, the structure and the operation of the unit are essentially the same as hereinbefore described, but the shape of the hook has been modified, as shown at I04, to eliminate any sharp cutting edge therein and to permit the loops readily to slip off the hook. The unit is adjusted on the shaft 28 in a position to cause the hook, as seen in Fig. 12, to engage the loops during its backward movement, or movement to the right. Further, the knife I05, which here functions as an ejector, does not have the usual cutting edge, but is provided with a dull or rounded edge and its operating end is generally suitably shaped to engage the loops and progressively cause the same to slide along and off the hook. Although a modified form of knife having an ejector action is preferably adopted, the movement of the hook is normally sufiicient to cause progressive release of the loops, and the use of any kind of ejector may be dispensed with.

As aforementioned, the machine comprises also manually operable means for severing all the loops remaining on the hooks at any given time, to release the material when this latter is to be removed from the machine because the formation of the nap has been completed or for any other reason.

For this purpose, (see Fig. 20), the lever 58, which is operable to oscillate the shaft 21 that actuates the knives in the manner hereinbefore described, has a hub 59 freely mounted on the shaft 21. The end of the shaft has fastened thereon a collar I55 and a manually operable lever I56 is carried by the shaft between said hub and said collar. A key I51 interconnects the hub and the collar through the interposed lever I56, thereby permitting the lever 58 to actuate the shaft 21 during operation of the machine, and is withdrawable from the hub to free the same, thereby disconnecting the shaft 21 from its driving means and permitting manual operation of the lever I58 to oscillate the shaft by any desired amount to actuate the knives while the lever 58 and actuating means therefor remain inactive.

Displacement of the hub 59 along the shaft 21 is prevented by a retaining collar I58.

During operation of the machine, while the' lines of chenille stitching I06 on one face of the material and corresponding series of loops on the other face thereof, the loops being progressively engaged and severed by the hook and knife units to'form lines of tufts I01, or engaged and ejected to formlines of uncut loops I 08 when the hereinbefore described modified unit is employed (Figs. 15-17).

Since at least one uncut loop always remains on each hook while the machine is operating, for reasons well known to those skilled in the art, the mate-rial is not freely movable sideways on the throat plate. The invention, however, provides novel means acting on the material during its advancement, through the machine in front of the needles for producing zig-zag or wavy lines of chenille such as shown at I I in Fig. 14, or any other desired designs.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, 5, 6 and 21, the machine is provided for this purpose with a frame or carriage reciproable longitudinally of the ma-- chine, which comprises a pair of parallel horizontal bars I II, I I2 disposed outwardly of the table I0 and rollingly supported by suitably arranged ball bearings I I0, or the like, carried by the table. Said bars are rigidly interconnected by transverse bars H3, and carry at their opposite ends pairs of uprights H4, H5 which are in turn respectively interconnected by rigid members I'IE, II I. The carriage is actuated from the main shaft Il in the manner hereafter described. The

members I Iii, I I! carry a pair of brackets 01' supports Ililfor adjustably mounting, at the back of the machine, a pair of rollers I29 for feeding the work material across the machine. The actuation of the rollers I may be effected, and 1' controlled to provide different rates of advancement or the material and therefore coarseor fine stitches by the needles, through a conventional drive mechanism including suitable change gears, not shown.

Mounted centrally of the bar I I I, at the front of the machine, for movement together with the carriage, is a device for distending and displacing the material in front of the needles during the feeding thereof (see Figs. 5, 6), which comprises a pair of angular members IZI, carrying at their lower end bracketts I22 mounting a roller I23 between the members. The ends of this roller project outwardly of the members and are pivotally mounted in a pair of brackets I24 bolted to the bar I, as at I25, pivotally to mount the structure on the carriage. The other or forward end of each member I2 I, which extends to a point in proximity of the needles 65, carries a ball bearing I25 which rests on the stationary throat plate 52 to permit movement of the members IZI and elements carried thereby along the throat plate with a minimum of friction during actuation of the carriage. Bolted to the members I2I, rigidly to interconnect the same, is a rod I28, and between said rod and the forward end of the members there are mounted in succession a roller I29, or spread roller, and a pair of rollers I3I, I32 which are preferably of the type known as porcupine or carding rollers.

The roller I29 has secured to its periphery a wire or the like defining oppositely directed spirals I30, intersecting at the center of the roller, adapted to spread the material in the rotation of the roller. Roller I3I is mounted in bearings I34 which are slidable in recesses I35 of the members IZI, and is urged toward the roller I32 by springs I33 interposed between elements I31, fixed to the members HI, and the bearings I34. A cam lever I38, pivoted to one of the members Fri) I2I between the bearings of the rollers I32 and I'3I, is manually operable to displace this latter away from the roller I32 to release the material engaged therebetween.

In the operation of the machine, the material I40 is engaged by the roller I29 and distended thereby, and then passes between the carding rollers I3I, I32 which firmly engage the material throughout its opposite faces, under the action of the springs I36 urging I3I toward I32, and maintain the same in a distended condition. The material then passes between the presser foot 69 and the throat plate 62 underneath the needles 65 for the tufting operation, thence to the feed rollers I20, and finally accumulates on a take-up collar at the back of the machine.

If the carriage is held stationary duringoperation of the machine, the material is progressively fed to the needles in a constant normal direction and is given only a rectilinear movement.

. Therefore, the needles will produce only straight lines of loops parallel to the longitudinal axis of the material. If, however, the carriage is ac tuated to move longitudinally of the machine, that is, transversely of said normal direction of feeding of the material, the rollers I3I, I32 engaging the material adjacent the needles will cause lateral displacement of the material in front of the needles concurrent with the advancement of the material through the machine, thereby causing a varying angular feeding of the material to the needles so as to vary the direction of the lines of loops that are being formed thereon. It is apparent that by conferring to the carriage a cyclic transverse movement and by suitably varying the characteristics of such movement, any desired shape of the lines of loops may be obtained and repeated on the material as exemplified by Fig. 14; further, that by providing two parallel suitably spaced rows of needles function in synchronism, intersecting lines and closed figures may be produced as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 19 and in Fig. 18

r wherein 65 indicates needles of the first or front row and I6I needles of the back row. The required characteristics of the movement ofthe carriage for any given desired design may be readily determined and obtained by means of a suitably profiled cam. Referring to Fig. 21 which schematically illustrates the movable carriage operating on the machine having two rows of needles 05 and IGI, it will be seen that the carriage is actuated from a cam M5 acting to move a slide generally indicated at HIS which in turn displaces the carriage through a member I ll connected to the slide and to the member H6 which interconnects the up-.

rights IM secured to the movable bars III, II2 of the carriage. The cam I45 is carried by a shaft mounted in the gear box I6 and driven from the main shaft I? through gearing I49, I50, IEI, including a change gear for varying the speed of rotation of the cam (see Fig. l) A suitable guide for the slide I46 is provided, which guide is not illustrated as it can be of any convenient or conventional structure. The slide, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises a channel body Ill and twin cam followers IIB connected to the body and adjustable lengthwise of this latter by means of a bolt and slot arrangement I19 illustrated in Fig. 1. It is understood that other mechanical arrangements could be substituted for the one shown.

Fig. 22 illustrates the structure of a chenille machine according to the invention having a double row of needles. This embodiment does not involve any substantial departure from the construction previously described, except in the duplication of needles and cooperating loop-engaging and severing means; the means common to both embodiments have been therefore omitted in the showing of Fig. 22.

In addition to the row of needles 65 carried by the needle bar 64, there is provided a further parallel suitably spaced needle bar I60 carrying a row of needles I6I alined with the needles 65 and actuated in synchronism therewith. The

needles I 6| operate through a second throat plate I62 and an additional supporting plate 6| is provided centrally of the machine to support the opposed sides of the two throat plates.

A second series of hook and knife units I 63 cooperate with the needles I6I.

Such units are mounted on a second unit-actuating shaft I 64 and comprise a collar I65, a pivoted plate I66 providedwith a hook I61, a spring-biased catch lever I68 for engaging a projection I69 on the 'collar, a knife I10 and a reciprocable member carrying the same (not shown). All of said elefme'nts are identical in structure to the corresponding elements of the unit 10 and assembled in the same manner. Likewise, the knife-carrying memher is connected to a rockable lever I1I; however,

"said lever, instead of being directly connected to an oscillatable shaft as in the unit 10, has pivoted to its outer end a link I12 which in turn is pro- Y vided at its free end with a slot I13 adapted to receive a pin I 14 carried by a member I15 mountedon an oscillatable shaft I16 from which the knives are actuated. The elements I1I, I12 function in the same manner as the single lever 91 of the unit 10 and the operation of the units I63 and of their constituent elements is identical to that of the unit 10 and the elements thereof. The shafts I64, I16 and the needle bar I60 are actuated in synchronism with the corresponding shafts 26, 21 and needle bar 64 by means of mechanisms similar to those described with reference to the actuation of the latter shafts and needle bar.

It is apparent that, if desired, a machine of the character described may also embody more than two rows of needles and cooperating loop-engaging and severing units, the operations whereof may be obtained by providing the necessary number of actuating shafts and associated means and suitably arranging the same in the machine. Further, it is understood that changes and modifications may otherwise be made in the structures described and illustrated in the drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention or 1 exceeding the scope of the claims.

for.

the collar, a. hook removably carried by the plate in a fixed position thereon, an element mounted on the plate for reciprocation therealong, a knife adjustably and removably mounted on said reciprocable element for actuation thereby toward and away from the hook, a rockable element mounted on the plate for actuating the reciprocable element, and a slot in said rockable element for receiving an actuating means for the rockable element.

2. Ina chenille machine, a hook and knife unit comprising a collar adapted to be mounted on an oscillatable unit-actuating shaft, a plate pivoted to said collar, means for releasably locking said plate to the collar, a hook removably carried by the plate in a fixed position thereon, an element mounted on the plate for reciprocation thereupon, a knife adjustably and removably mounted on said reciprocable element for actuation thereby toward and away from the hook, a rockable element mounted on the plate for actuating the reciprocable element, and a slot in said rockable element for receiving an oscillatable actuating means for the rockable element, said slot being shaped and arranged to permit sliding movement of the oscillatable means therein without actuation of the rockable member when the oscillatable means is stationary.

3. In a chenille machine, a hook and knife unit comprising a collar adapted to be mounted on an oscillatable unit-actuating shaft, a plate pivoted to said collar, means for releasably locking said plate to the collar, a hook removably carried by the plate in a fixed position thereon, an element mounted on the plate for reciprocation thereupon, a knife adjustably and removably mounted on said reciprocable element for actuation thereby toward and away from the hook, a rockable element pivoted to the plate and connected to said reciprocable element for actuating the same, and means on said rockable element for separably connecting the same to an actuating means there- WALTER A. BEHRENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 456,726 Koch July 28, 1891 1,832,636 Kalbach Nov. 17, 1931 1,984,332 Boyce Dec. 11, 1934 2,038,923 Bradwell Apr. 28, 1936 2,058,047 Warren Oct. 20, 1936 2,062,027 Hoffman et a1 Nov. 24, 1936 2,070,287 Loos Feb. 9, 1937 2,335,487 Cobble et al Nov. 30, 1943 2,387,649 Davies Oct. 23, 1945 2,389,914 Kile Nov. 27, 1945 2,411,267 Hamrick Nov. 19, 1946 

